Parliament has approved the Maldives 2.0 Digital Transformation Bill and the Digital Identity Bill for further consideration, referring both pieces of legislation to the Information and Communications Technology Committee for detailed examination.

The Government submitted the two bills to Parliament on 15 June, and both were unanimously accepted by members present following debate in the chamber.

The Maldives 2.0 Digital Transformation Bill seeks to establish the Maldives Digital Service, a dedicated state agency that will lead the country's digital transformation efforts and oversee the implementation of national digital governance policies.

The proposed legislation also aims to create an integrated digital ecosystem by introducing centralised data registries that will allow Government institutions to securely exchange information. In addition, the agency will be responsible for managing Government ICT services, digital infrastructure and public sector computer networks.

The bill forms the legal foundation for the Maldives 2.0 initiative, which is designed to modernise public service delivery through digital technology, improve efficiency across Government institutions and strengthen the country's digital governance framework.

The Digital Identity Bill, meanwhile, proposes a legal framework for a national digital identity system that will enable secure identity verification for online services and digital transactions involving Government agencies and other organisations.

It also calls for the establishment of a Digital Identity Technical Advisory Committee to supervise the development of the system, while outlining the duties of identity providers, participating entities and data contributors, as well as safeguards governing the use of digital identities and personal data.

Following their acceptance, both bills will now be examined by the Information and Communications Technology Committee, which will review the proposed legislation before reporting back to Parliament.